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San Jose State's Johnson a load Colorado State has to handle

Senior defensive end an all-around performer

By Mike Brohard Sports Editor

Posted:
09/12/2012 09:25:41 PM MDT

San Jose State defensive lineman Travis Johnson (43), shown blocking a field goal against Hawai'i last season, is the active career sacks leader in the nation heading into Saturday's game with Colorado State. A team captain, SJSU coach Mike McIntyre calls him the "heart and soul" of the Spartans defense.
(Courtesy San Jose State athletics)

FORT COLLINS -- Mike MacIntyre wasn't shy in describing how Travis Johnson played against UC Davis last week. And the San Jose State coach wasn't using hyperbole in his description, either.

"Travis Johnson was a beast Saturday," MacIntyre said. "He had four sacks and six tackles for loss. He played a phenomenal game for us."

The numbers earned him the national defensive player and defensive lineman awards of the week from the College Football Performance Awards, a group that uses a scientific algorithm for measurement. You also can't write them off as great numbers against a FCS team, either, because Johnson has been tearing through defenses for years.

A week earlier, he had 1.5 tackles for loss on the road at Stanford. He'll enter Saturday's game against Colorado State as the nation's career active sack leader with 23 and fifth on the list of tackles for loss (35.0). Most other weeks of the season, CSU coach Jim McElwain would enjoy kicking back and watching Johnson do his thing.

"Here's what I like about him -- he plays the game the way it's supposed to be played," McElwain said. "He plays with a relentless attitude in whatever it is, run, pass, it doesn't matter. I like that. I enjoy watching guys that play the game that way. I enjoy it.

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"He's a disruptive force. You hear me talk about explosive playmakers, well it doesn't just have to be a guy that can run and catch. He's an explosive playmaker from his position and a disruptive force. He's a guy we've got to be aware of, and we've got to challenge ourselves."

It's a grand compliment coming from the other sideline, the kind that means a lot to the player receiving it. Hearing it from your own coach -- and MacIntyre calls Johnson the "heart and soul" of the Spartans defense -- is nice, but when other schools take note, it's special, as well as a challenge.

"It definitely is, knowing that he knows I can play, and it adds some excitement in the game, him knowing I can play and see if I can do it against them also," Johnson said.

Unlike a lot of top pass rushers, Johnson is just as stout against the run, one of the reasons he was an All-Western Athletic Conference choice a year ago. One of the Spartans' top tacklers in 2011, he is second on the squad this year, as his 16 tackles are one less than the rest of his defensive linemates combined.

"Sometimes you think of pass rushers, guys who have that many sacks, all they're doing is rushing the passer, just running up field," MacIntyre said. "No. He plays really well against the run. When we played Stanford, they didn't throw it a ton, had all the big guys and running double tights and all that, he's stuffing the run, too. He's an all-around good football player."

That came with work. When MacIntyre arrived, Johnson was a bit undersized and didn't have the necessary strength. The work he put in has yielded not only power, but stamina, as well, and the coach talks about his motor and how he never stops. That energy led to a pair of blocked field goals against Hawai'i last year.

Johnson, who will match up against Ty Sambrailo, a former prep rival, on Saturday, has also become a student of the game, learning what opposing offenses are trying to do, how they will attack him and what keys he can use to his advantage.

"It comes down to all the time of work in the offseason and in-season," said Johnson, who had four tackles and a sack in the win over CSU last year. "When you're told to do something, just do it with all you can. I know if I do that, I'll be able to be the best I can be, and that's all I can worry about."

Johnson has grown into his role for the Spartans, and they've come to rely on him. He's a team captain and only needs to take two classes his last semester to graduate on time. But for all the sacks and disruptive plays he accounts for in a game and over his career, Johnson feels it's his dedication to task that has served him best.

As his production has risen, so to has that of the program, which has gotten better each year since MacIntyre took control.

"The biggest thing it correlates to is the team growing together," Johnson said. "Once it started getting better, the whole team bought in and we're all on the same page. Once the whole team is in on it, then everyone can make more plays.

"I was allowed to just play and be and just do more. That's what I think the best programs do. They're all on the same page and they're all working for one goal. It took a little bit of time, but I think that's where we're at."

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